West Bengal State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha informed mediapersons late on Thursday evening that the poll panel will abide by the order of the Calcutta High Court on deployment of central armed forces throughout the state for the panchayat elections scheduled on July 8.
“The State Election Commission will follow all the directions of the Calcutta High Court,” Sinha told mediapersons, hours after a division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranamay Bhattacharya directed the poll panel to seek assistance of central forces from the Union Home Ministry.
However, despite the assurance from Sinha, political observers are not quite sure as to whether the state government will approach the Supreme Court challenging the high court’s order.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose told mediapersons on Thursday evening that under no circumstances violence should be allowed on the polling date.
“This is the time for action, and not words. Just have patience and see what happens. As of now, all I can say is that concrete steps will be taken to ensure free and fair polls,” he said.
However, the leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has accused the Governor of reacting too late in the matter.
Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh, on his part, claimed that with or without central forces, a landslide victory is inevitable for the Trinamool in the forthcoming panchayat polls.
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